Netanyahu's political games have once again made him a hypocrite, this time on Gaza BoP - editorial
There may be a certain political logic in trying to appease both the Israeli Right and Trump. But what the public sees is a prime minister categorically rejecting a plan while carrying it out.
Public cynicism about leaders tends to grow when they speak one way and act differently. In this case, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's behavior with regard to Israel's response to the Board of Peace's 15-point road map for Gaza is particularly troublesome. At a recent cabinet meeting, Netanyahu publicly distanced himself from US President Donald Trump, who had praised the roadmap and Hamas's acceptance of it.
Netanyahu declared that Israel would reject the plan. He argued that the plan's sequence is ambiguous and that Israel might be pressured to withdraw from Gaza before Hamas is fully disarmed.
However, Netanyahu's actions do not fully align with his public statements. Despite the assurances from the Board of Peace's high representative Nickolay Mladenov, Israel has not withdrawn sector by sector, waiting for weapons to be collected and rendered unusable under international supervision. Instead, Israel has scaled back its attacks in Gaza following Trump's announcement of Hamas's acceptance of the roadmap. Moreover, the IDF ceased targeted assassinations, focusing its military actions solely on immediate threats.
Additionally, Netanyahu's government has allowed an initial contingent of up to 200 members of the International Stabilization Force to enter Gaza. This force is a key part of the broader plan for Gaza, aimed at supporting Hamas's disarmament, stabilizing areas from which Israel withdraws, and preparing the ground for a new Palestinian administration.
Furthermore, Israel has reportedly approved infrastructure work for an Emirati-backed pilot project in eastern Rafah, providing temporary housing in an area free of Hamas control.
These actions, while not on the same scale as Netanyahu's public rejection of the plan, are nonetheless consistent with several of its central provisions. However, Netanyahu's public rejection of the roadmap, while Israel implements parts of it, is difficult to justify and contributes to public cynicism. It leaves the public questioning why Netanyahu is saying one thing and doing another.
This dual behavior, seemingly designed to appease both his domestic political opponents and US President Trump, fuels cynicism and erodes trust in leadership.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
